at the judaica store

Hey All,

So I hope those of you who fasted/observed tisha b'av in whatever way you did had a meaningful day.

I want to share with you a nice interaction I had today on Ben-Yehudah street. I honestly think I have been too pessimistic about the situation here in Jerusalem. I feel like I am on guard more than I need to be in terms of being open about becoming a rabbi and the ways I practice my religion. Ok so enough with the preface...

So I was in store on ben yehuda street with a friend who was buying a tallis, one of the awesome big ones (mitzvah cape!) and I was showing her how to put it on. The guy at the store (keep in mind this whole interaction is in Hebrew which makes it even better) asks me how I know this because he was impressed. He asked me if I was the child of a rabbi. I weighed my options because sometimes I am hesitant to tell people that I am studying to be a rabbi, but I decided I would tell him because the more and more I think about it the more important I think it is to tell people, to make them know we are here and there are reform Jews in Israel. Rabbi Naamah Kelman has made this point a few times now when speaking to us, and i really like it/agree.

Anyways I told him I knew all this stuff because I am studying to be a rabbi (rabbanit) and he reacted positively. He said that was great. Then I asked about the price of this one beautiful necklace I had been eyeing and he said he would give me a discount cause I was going to be a rabbi (but truthfully he probably says he gives everyone a discount haha).

We continued to speak in Hebrew, and when I told him I was from boston he got excited because his son went to college there. Then he asked me if I wanted to marry a religious (better translated here as orthodox probably) person. I told him no, it was just important that whoever I end up with love Judaism. I guess this part isn't so interesting, I'm honestly just impressed with myself that I could communicate this in Hebrew.

He asked me how old I was and then told me I was too young for his son. Haha. I love how everyone wants to set me up with people.

But yeah it was just a really nice chat and I got this BEAUTIFUL necklace, it was hand made by yemenite Jews and it's pretty rocking. So thank you man in the store for helping me see the nicer kinder side of Jerusalem and not letting me forget that it's there.

Oh man how did I get so lucky?!

Becca